Local & State Headlines

State, national races take shape

• U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop draws a Republican challenger to his re-election bid.

Carlton Fletcher

ALBANY — While there was little action among local qualifiers for the July 15 general election primaries Wednesday, state and national races started taking shape as a number of candidates qualified at the Capitol in Atlanta.

Democrat Andrew Harris Jr., a jailer at the Dougherty County Jail, threw his hat into the ring for the coroner’s office Wednesday, the lone candidate from either party to get his name on the ballot during the third day of the five-day qualifying period for 15 local offices.

Harris, who has worked at the jail for the past 10 years and is a licensed funeral director and embalmer, said he wants to bring compassion to the coroner’s office.

“In death, you want to help the family of the deceased as much as possible,” he said. “I’ve had that experience personally three times in the last 10 months, and I know how important it is.

“I feel it’s time now for me to come out and make a difference in this community. I’ve worked in the funeral business since 1985, and I will give the compassion this position requires.”

Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Sanford Biship, D-Albany, drew opposition to his bid for a 9th term in the 2nd Congressional District seat from Republican Lee Ferrell of Albany. Democrats Vernon Jones, Jim Martin and Dale Cardwell have lined up in hopes of getting a shot at U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Moultrie.

Doug Everett of Albany announced in a news release that he has qualified to return to the District 1 Public Service Commission seat he’s held for the past six years. Fellow Republican Rick Collum of Moultrie qualified to challenge Everett, who served three years on the Albany City Commission and a term in the state House of Representatives before claiming a spot on the PSC.

“In this time of difficulty, we need a steady, proven leader on the Public Service Commission,” Everett, past chair of the commission, said in the release. “This position is too important to hand over to someone without the experience to do the job for all the people of Georgia.”

Collum is 38, slightly more than half the age of the 70-year-old Everett0.

State Reps. Winfred Dukes, D-Albany, and Ed Rynders, R-Leesburg, qualified to return to House seats 150 and 152, respectively, and Democrat Greg Edwards qualified to run for district attorney of the Dougherty Judicial Circuit.

The qualifying period continues today from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and will conclude Friday at noon.

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